[Rick Lee]

North Korea isn't going to launch a missile from their capital. It will be from an island in the northeast, near the Russian border. I actually hope they do it. It would be the kick in the a$s the South needs to start realizing NK is a real danger and not some misunderstood, wayward neighbor. The younger generation there has no memory of the Korean War and views the US as the aggressor. The US is all that keeps them from being slaves in labor camps, serving the Kim Dynasty.

Testing the missile will also make Japan get serious about becoming a military player again, which I think would be good for stability there. It would keep China and NK in check.

It really doesn't matter whether we have 37,000 or 300 troops in South Korea. They are nothing more than a tripwire force to deter the North and reassure the South. If the North were to launch an invasion of the South, they'd make short work of our troops there, but would ensure a full retaliation. I read somewhere that NK would be able to lob something like 50,000 artillery shells PER HOUR on the South in the opening days of a conflict there. Seoul has about the same population of NYC and would be totally exterminated. With that kind of collateral, I'd say we don't have the freedom to deal with the North the way we did with Iraq.